Electrical connectors or contacts are used in many, if not all, electrical assemblies or systems. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate top and lateral elevational views, respectively, a conventional electrical contact assembly 10. The electrical contact assembly 10 includes a main body 12, a terminal latch 14, and an assist spring 16 secured to, and/or around, contact legs 18.
The main body 12 includes a U-shaped housing 20 that is adapted to receive a wire (not shown). The U-shaped housing 20 is crimped around the wire to secure the wire to the electrical contact assembly 10.
The contact legs 18 and the assist spring 16 are distally located from the main body 12. The contact legs 18 are configured to receive a mating contact (not shown), and the assist spring 16 surrounds the contact legs 18 to provide structural strength and integrity. That is, the assist spring 16 acts to limit outward spreading of the contact legs 18.
When the contact legs 18 receive a mating contact, the contact legs 18 spread apart. The assist spring 16 exerts an inwardly-directed force into the contact legs 18 to assist in maintaining the structural integrity of the contact legs 18 so that the contact legs 18 maintain contact with the mating contact.
The resilient terminal latch 14 snapably or latchably connects to the contact legs 18 and/or the main body 12. The latch 14 moves inward during assembly and returns to its original position once assembled, thereby securing to the main body 12.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the electrical contact assembly 10 includes three separate and distinct components. That is, the electrical contact assembly 10 includes the main body 12 integrally connected to the contact legs 18, and the separate latch 14 and the separate assist spring 16. The separate and distinct components of the electrical contact assembly add undesirable manufacturing and assembly costs.
Additionally, the contact legs 18 and the assist spring 16 do not always maintain even contact with the mating contact. As the contact legs 18 receive the mating contact, the contact legs 18 are susceptible to separating in such a way that the contact legs 18 do not engage the reciprocal or counterpart mating contacts. Further, the contact legs 18 may separate unevenly and do not always remain parallel to one another during mating. For example, the top portions 22 of the contact legs 18 may spread farther apart than the bottom portions 24 of the contact legs 18 during a mating process, thereby engaging the reciprocal mating contact unevenly. Uneven mating between the contact legs 18 and the reciprocal mating structure may result in arcing, loss of power, and/or poor performance of a system including the electrical contact assembly 10.
Thus, a need exists for a more reliable electrical contact assembly that is cheaper and easier to manufacture and assemble. Further, a need exists for an electrical contact assembly that is configured to safely, securely, and evenly mate with a reciprocal or counterpart mating contact.